LESSON+II+Intention

//Is something a work of art if it is made by someone with the intention of evoking an emotional or aesthetic response?//
= __**Assignment**__ = -and- consider the examples below to address the question:
 * PLEASE READ (PDF) pages 337-341 from Theory of Knowledge Text: CH 11 Arts: What is Art? Intention**

**To what extent is intention important in defining art?**
Write a thoughtful response (app 300 words) in the appropriate discussion post.


 * 1


 * [[image:toknow-12/painting.jpg width="537" height="729" align="center" caption="Arnolfini Wedding Portrait by Jan Van Eyck"]] ||
 * Arnolfini Wedding Portrait by Jan Van Eyck ||

//Arnolfini Wedding, 1434// Jan Van Eyck

exerpt from //Gardner's Art Through the Ages// (pp. 576-578)


 * Van Eyck depicts the Lucca financier (who had established himself in Bruges as an agent of the Medici family) and his betrothed in a Flemish bedchamber that is simultaneously mundane and charged with the spiritual. Arnolfini and his bride, Giovanna Cenami, hand in hand, take the marriage vows.
 * The cast-aside [|clogs] indicate this event is taking place on holy ground.
 * The little [|dog] symbolizes fidelity (the common canine name Fido originated from the Latin //fido,// "to trust").
 * Behind the pair, the curtains of the marriage bed have been opened.
 * The bedpost's //finial// (crowning ornament) is a [|tiny statue of Saint Margaret], patron saint of childbirth.
 * From the finial hangs a whisk broom, symbolic of domestic care.
 * The [|oranges] on the chest below the window may refer to fertility, and the all-seeing eye of God seems to be referred to twice. It is symbolized once by the single candle burning in the left rear holder of the ornate [|chandelier] and again by the [|mirror], where viewers see the entire room reflected.

**Consider the significance of "Intention" in this case. How is it reflected?**

//Kara Walker's work explores the raw intersection of race, gender, and sexuality through iconic, silhouetted figures. Walker unleashes the traditionally Victorian medium of the silhouette directly onto the walls of the gallery. In recent works, the Walker uses overhead projectors to throw light onto the walls and floor of the exhibition space, implicating the audience through their own shadows. Art21.org//
 * 1) 2 Kara Walker:
 * View video between (2:08-14:20).**

Watch the full episode. See more ART:21.

**How does Walker's work take "Intention" one step further?**


 * 1) 3 Tracy Emin, //My Bed, 1998//

//**"My Bed**// is a work by the British artist Tracey Emin. First created in 1998, it was exhibited at the Tate Gallery in 1999 as one of the shortlisted works for the Turner Prize. It consisted of her bed with bedroom objects in an abject state, and gained much media attention. Although it did not win the prize, its notoriety has persisted. The artwork generated considerable media furore, particularly over the fact that the bedsheets were stained with bodily secretions and the floor had items from the artist's room (such as condoms, a pair of knickers with menstrual period stains, other detritus, and functional, everyday objects, including a pair of slippers). The bed was presented as it had been when Emin had not got up from it for several days due to suicidal depression brought on by relationship difficulties."



//A consummate, Tracey Emin engages the viewer with her candid exploration of universal emotions. Well-known for her confessional art, Tracey Emin reveals intimate details from her life to engage the viewer with her expressions of universal emotions. Her ability to integrate her work and personal life enables Emin to establish an intimacy with the viewer.// Tracey shows us her own bed, in all its embarrassing glory. Empty booze bottles, fag butts, stained sheets, worn panties: the bloody aftermath of a nervous breakdown. By presenting her bed as art, Tracey Emin shares her most personal space, revealing she’s as insecure and imperfect as the rest of the world.- from Saatchi Gallery: __ [] __

**Does this piece support the Intention criteria? Do you agree that this is Art?**